Mrs. Dustin Penner, Jessica Welch, Files For Divorce

Personal problems have a way of affecting your work. That “way” to which I refer varies depending on the person and personality but few thing in life have an impact more than death or divorce. Dustin Penner is going through the latter. She just filed. I don’t yet have a link for this (update: Link here).

I don’t know much about Dustin Penner’s personal life but his marriage to Jessica Welch has been the stuff of secondary internet news (not from the major players) for a while. Jessica Welch was previously married to cut throat Richard Zednik.

Divorce is often preceded by marital problems. Marital problems manifest themselves outside the marriage with a lack of focus, effort and inconsistency. For a light hearted, type B guy like Dustin Penner who probably internalizes his emotions, these problems and now a divorce can take an emotional toll. You don’t hear it in his voice or words. He can be all smiles. You see it through his conduct.

Does this explain Penner’s on ice issues since he came to the L.A. Kings? Perhaps. He is getting paid a lot of money though and your first instinct may be to chastise him for letting his personal life adversely impact his game. I would respond he is a human being before a hockey player and comes with our frailties.

46 replies

I can see this being a big part of things. It has been a difficult year for him. I know first hand the types of things that can affect your work. Sometimes you just want to stay in bed all day, not face a demanding coach, ridiculous expectations set earlier in your career, and sarcastic media.

That explains some of his piss poor play but for 4+mil a season that’s still no excuse. He’s basically stealing from the Kings unless he’s disclosed to them that this is going on and that’s the issue. Someone should tell him that some player is banging her. Maybe that’ll motivate hus dumb ass.

I thought about this because it would seem to explain his time here.
But what about his time in Edmonton? He has been inconsistent since he signed his offer sheet. Yes he scored more goals there but on a team that was offense offense, offense. He was also benched by Mac T while in Edmonton. He came with a huge warning label, he takes games off. I think he’s probably a 20 goal scorer average. I like him at 20 goals just not at 4 mil.
I feel bad the for the guy his wife is obviously a gold digging cunt.

I had a feeling it was something like this. Penner is a beast that can destroy almost anybody in the league but, with the exception of a few flashes this year, he hasn’t been playing that way. I feel bad for the guy and any unlucky player that he decides to release his frustration on. I suggest Teemu Selanne but if he picks another Duck or even the entire Detroit Redwings team, that would do.

Quite honestly, I thought he played a better than usual game last night in Minnesota. Perhaps he’s telling himself, “I’m finally free of that bitch!” Maybe this will help his game and keep the Kings scoring because they have to win 3/4 of their games from here on out to make the playoffs, assuming 95-96 points is the cutoff between those who make it and those who don’t.

Dustin Penner is not the first NHL player to get divorced, nor is he the first NHL player whose divorce became TMZ fodder — ask Sheldon Souray about that.
But the gossip site’s report that his wife Jessica Welch, formerly married to Richard Zednik, filed for divorce in Los Angeles citing “irreconcilable differences” has us questioning our own love … of pancakes.
Welch is the one who made Penner the “delicious pancakes” that led to the most surreal hockey injury in recent memory. She helped him get dressed after that flapjack-related ailment, so he could go the rink for treatment. It was all one Jason Mraz song away from being a montage in a rom-com.
But alas, it couldn’t last. You see, marriage is like a pancake: One minute you’re neatly stacked on top of each other and covered in sticky sweetness; the next you’re soggy and falling apart, your home becoming a gelatinous soup of what used to be. (Also, both marriages and pancakes are made exponentially better with the addition of bacon. We believe science has confirmed this.)
On a serious tip: This always sucks, and our best wishes go out to both of them. And while there’s nothing that formally backs this up: Maybe there was more to Dustin Penner’s slump than hockey-related matters. At least recently, when Darryl Sutter demanded he work his ass off during a series of healthy scratches. More here from Life In Hockeywood.
The Royal Half has a look at the Penner/Welch wedding, for nostalgia’s sake. (Also from The Royal Half: “Trust me there is no coincidence that Dustin Penner’s wife leaves him the minute Jeff Carter joins the team.”) Luckily for Penner, the Kings have already played their game against the Buffalo Sabres this season, so he won’t have to hear 60 minutes of Pat Kaleta’s best divorce material.

A professional hockey player should not be worried about pussy. He should move on, and regain the fire. He needs to play better to keep his dollars up for next year.

Guys like Mike Richards, just him and his dog Arnold, have the right idea. Careers are short. Keep your priorities in order. He will never have the opportunity to make this much money the rest of his life.

Pull your head out of your ass and find an instinct for self perservation. The guy has looked like dogshit for most of the season. Get it together !!!

The lack of production. Marital problems. Careers on the verge of collapsing. I really hope to see him get past this season somewhere. I might not want the Kings to resign him, but I’m gonna be pulling for him from this day forward, and if he ever does make it back on top, it will truely be a test of wills, and a victory over Murphey’s law.